Jan 02, 2014 04:14 PM
215592 Views
(Updated Jan 03, 2014 09:09 AM)
My first car was Santro. I bough that as a second hand car. After a year, I decided to change that. Spark was the only choice I had in my mind. I did not even inquire about other cars in that segment. It was like love at first sight. I took my car on Jan 2010. Now it has completed 4 years with me. Not a single day, single moment that I regretted my decision to buy this car.
I had been to long trips with my family even though I am not an experienced driver. But my chemistry with the car is so good that I always drive successfully. I had driven my car in all possible conditions, rash driving, smooth driving, bad roads, heavy traffic, rainy times, night driving, hill stations, with full load etc. But my experience with the car has always been pleasant and satisfying. The car is made such that it adopts to different conditions. Here are the pros and cons of this car in my experience
Look It is a cute car, looks friendly and attractive. The interior is in beige color. It is not the best looking interior, but definitely not poor. The plastics used inside are ok. I like the design of head lamps and tail lamps.
Space The seating capacity of the car is sufficient for a small family of five members. But if the persons are taller and heavier, it is inconvenient fr three people to sit in the back seat. Driving position is good too.
AC Superb air conditioning for a small car.
Features Power steering, power windows, air bags, seat belt and body colored bumpers.
Boot space Very poor. Hardly few bags could be placed.
Performance Just amazing. It has the proven Matiz engine. The top speed I have reached is 130. Engine never struggles at any speed. It is also very good to drive in traffic.
Gears Reverse gear is not good. It gets struck very often. But other gears are very smooth to operate.
Suspension Nice suspension that withstands bumpy roads and speed breakers. It has reasonably good ground clearance. Comes with tube less tyres and alloy wheels.
Fuel consumption There are both LPG and Petrol options available. But I only know about the petrol version. I have no complaints about the fuel consumption. It gives very good mileage in highways( 20) and little lesser in city traffic(17). The mileage is on par with other cars in its segment. If somebody is complaining that they are getting poor mileage, it is either due to their over expectation, poor driving or they are simply unlucky.
Ride quality It is has a superior ride quality which is praised in many reviews. The power steering is very responsive. Turning the car requires little effort. The engine has enough power so that we dont feel inferior on a high way.
Resale value when I bought my car in 2010, many advised me to go for Alto as the resale value of spark was very poor. But today that has improved. It is possible to sell it at good price( but anyway I have no intention to sell it).
Maintenance It is only on two occasions that the car gave trouble needing me to seek service. Otherwise, I just did the periodic maintenance services.
Service Centers The number of service centers is less than Maruti and Hyndai. But it is more than many other brands. About the quality of service, it is similar to other brands. I once got a poor service, then I immediately sent an emil to Chevrolet Cus Care. The next day, the dealer took my car from my home and corrected the problem without charging anything. They finally requested me to send a mail to chevrolet again to say that the problem is now rectified.
3 years maintenance free I received this offer when I bought my car. As per this, I do not have pay a single rupee during the services for 3 years. This offer covered all the periodic maintenance services and running repairs including wear and tear of parts like clutch, brake pads, wipers etc. I did not not even pay for the engine oils. While you compare the cost of spark with other cars, you should also take into account this offer as this is not available in other cars.
Overall, In my opinion, among the 1000cc hatchback cars available, Spark is the best choice. i10 is better, but it is more expensive. In its price range, it has the contenders of Alto k10, Hyndai Eon, Wagon R. Among these, spark is a sensible choice. Good luck.
